Euro Slides Against Australian Dollar Amid Severe French Riots and European Headwinds

The euro weakened against the Australian dollar in early Asia-Pacific trade under pressure from major European headwinds. Nationwide cost-of-living protests in France escalated into widespread rioting, looting, and arson, leading to roughly 2,400 arrests and nearly 1,000 injured police officers. The unrest, which drew between 550,000 and 800,000 demonstrators, renewed fiscal concerns over France's deficit and public spending. Market sentiment was additionally burdened by regional security friction after Romanian F-16s downed two drones over the Black Sea, alongside U.S. threats of retaliatory trade measures over European Starlink spectrum regulations.